Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. SORTA operates Metro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’s Central Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Andy Aiello along with a 13-member board of trustees. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
Downtown Cincinnati is also served by the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, whose transit services extend over the Ohio River into Northern Kentucky.
History
SORTA replaced the Transit Commission, which operated buses from 1952 to 1973. SORTA took over bus service in 1973 under the name Queen City Metro, which was later shortened to Metro to reflect increased regional service. In 2012 SORTA Metro released its schedule information in the General Transit Feed Specification, making schedules more easily available to customers. The Cincinnati Bell Connector was operated by SORTA until 2019; the City of Cincinnati has since owned and operated the streetcar. Until 2021, SORTA Metro was funded primarily by Cincinnati's city earnings tax, second by fares, and third by federal sources, with some other minor sources. This stood in contrast to other Ohio transit agencies, such as COTA and GCRTA which are primarily funded by sales tax. For a sense of perspective, the portion of Cincinnati's earnings tax going to Metro's budget was about 0.3%.Reinventing Metro
On May 14, 2020, Hamilton County voters passed Issue 7, which switches the source of SORTA funding to a sales tax levy of 0.8 percent. The sales tax in Hamilton County raised to 7.8% and the Cincinnati earnings tax was eliminated. The levy is projected to generate $130 million a year, which will be split 100/30 between Metro and road infrastructure respectively. The new sales tax rate went into effect on October 1, 2020. The new funding will be used to implement Reinventing Metro, which is a transit network redesign of its fixed-route services, but also introduces Mobility on Demand and bus rapid transit to the region.An example related project is the Northside Transit Center, which is located in Northside and replaced a basic bus stop. The new transit center, which opened in 2020, features eight boarding bays, each with an architecturally designed shelter and enhanced streetscaping, lighting and amenities. In addition, the transit center features artwork designed by winners of the transit agency's art contest for Northside residents. The contest asked residents to submit designs following the theme, "What does Northside mean to me?”. The artwork is displayed prominently on installations at the transit center's entrance and exit. The Northside project was a partnership with the Federal Transit Administration, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and other local stakeholders.
Services
Metro Bus routes
SORTA Metro operates about 40 major fixed bus routes, as well as a demand-responsive paratransit service. Of the major routes, roughly half run only at rush hours and are essentially commuter services, some of them serving the reverse commute. The other half operate throughout the day, and some offer increased frequency during rush hours. Approximately 90% of all trips are made on the all-day routes, and 10% on the express commuter routes. Routes 4, 11, 17, 33, 43, 51, and 78 run at all times.Routes 29X and 82X extend into neighboring Clermont County under an arrangement with the Clermont Transportation Connection.
Route 71X extends into neighboring Warren County under an arrangement with Warren County Transit. Route 72X was eliminated at the end of October 2025 and the 71X has expanded hours.
Route 20 has a layover in neighboring Butler County with connections to Butler County Regional Transit Authority's Route R3 Oxford-Forest Park Connector at the Forest Park Park and Ride and at a stop across from Fairfield Meijer.
More information about bus routes and individual route schedules can be found on Metro's page.
| Number | Route name | Route type |
| 1 | Mt. Adams | Local |
| 2 | Madeira | Local |
| 3X | Montgomery Express | Express |
| 4 | Montgomery Road | Local |
| 5 | Blue Ash | Local |
| 6 | Queen City Avenue | Local |
| 8 | Blue Ash - Silverton | Local |
| 10 | Erie Avenue | Local |
| 11 | Madison Road | Local |
| 12 | Madisonville | Local |
| 16 | Spring Grove/Daly | Local |
| 17 | Hamilton Avenue | Local |
| 19 | Colerain Avenue | Local |
| 20 | Winton Road | Local |
| 21 | Harrison Avenue | Local |
| 22 | Glenway - Madison | Local |
| 23X | Forest Park Express | Express |
| 24 | Beechmont - MLK | Local |
| 25 | Mount Lookout | Local |
| 27 | Beekman – Linn | Local |
| 28 | East End | Local |
| 29X | Milford Express | Express |
| 30 | Beechmont | Local |
| 31 | Taft – McMillan | Local |
| 32 | West 8th Street | Local |
| 33 | Glenway Avenue | Local |
| 36 | Price Hill – Uptown | Local |
| 37 | MLK – Westwood | Local |
| 38 | Uptown Commuter | Local |
| 40 | Montana | Local |
| 41 | North Bend Road | Local |
| 43 | Reading Road | Local |
| 46 | Avondale | Local |
| 49 | Fairmount | Local |
| 50 | River Road | Local |
| 51 | Uptown Connector | Local |
| 52X | Harrison Express | Express |
| 61 | Galbraith Road | Local |
| 64 | Westwood | Local |
| 65 | Western Hills | Local |
| 67 | Kemper Road | Local |
| 71X | Kings Island Express | Express |
| 74X | Colerain Express | Express |
| 75X | Anderson Express | Express |
| 77 | Delhi | Local |
| 78 | Vine Street | Local |
| 81 | Mount Washington | Commuter |
| 82X | Eastgate Express | Express |
| 90 | Metro*Plus | Local |
MetroNow!
Throughout 2021 and early 2022, Metro worked on developing an accessible, on-demand and localized mobility service, including connections to Metro's network of more than 40 fixed bus routes.Previously referred to as "Mobility On-Demand," this service is now called MetroNow!, with two zones that launched pilot service in Spring of 2023. Metro plans to roll out several additional service zones in the future. More information about the MetroNow service can be found on their page.
Access Paratransit
In compliance with federal requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Metro operates a paratransit service called Access for individuals with disabilities. ADA-accessible vans provide on-demand service within 3/4 miles of Metro bus service, during Metro's bus service hours. Riders must apply with Metro and receive certification of ADA eligibility before using Access service. Trips on Access are scheduled in advance, either by phone or through the Metro MyAccess app. As part of the July 16, 2025 fare changes, single ride Access trips are $4.40.Stops and stations
Most of SORTA's roughly 3,600 stops are simply marked with a sign on a pole listing routes the stop serves, and are fairly infrastructure-light. Several dozen stops include bus shelters and covered benches. Several suburban stops are park-and-rides. Government Square is the main transit station, located downtown near Fountain Square. SORTA owns and operates several transit centers across the region including the Northside Transit Center, Oakley Transit Center, and Glenway Crossing Transit Center. SORTA operates the Riverfront Transit Center though it's only used for a layover point for the Metro*Plus route.Fares
Effective July 16, 2025, local and commuter routes will see an increase fare of 20 cents to $2.20 and Hamilton County express routes will see an increase fare of 35 cents to $3.00. Commuter routes will now be known as local routes. Warren County and Clermont County express fares will decrease to $3. Children under 55 inches will ride free with an accompanying adult, again up to 2 children per adult.Metro introduced their, which is their version of fare capping. Users of the Transit can preload money onto their accounts to pay for their fares. For those not using the app, they can get a smart card they can load money on. The system will track their spending and once they reach the equivalent price of day pass or 30 day pass, they will not have to pay any additional fares until the cycle resets.
Metro fares are available for mobile payment via Transit, an app that has been adopted for such purposes across several cities.
| Fare type | Price | Half fare |
| Local Routes | $2.20 | $1.10 |
| Express Routes | $3 | $1.50 |
| Access Fare | $4.40 | |
| Metro*NOW Fare | $2.50 | No discounted fare. |
| Fare type | Price |
| Local 24-Hour Pass | $4.40 |
| Metro/TANK 24-Hour Pass | $5 |
| Express 24-Hour Pass | $6 |
| 5-ride Local Ticket | $11 |
| Half Fare 24-Hour Pass | $2.20 |
| Local 30-day Pass | $88 |
| Express 30-day Pass | $120 |
| Metro/TANK 30-day Pass | $105 |
| Suburban County Express 30-day Pass | $150 |
Garages and current fleet
SORTA operates about 300 buses on fixed routes, and about 50 smaller vehicles as part of their 'demand responsive services'. All vehicles in SORTA's fleet are ADA accessible. On average, vehicles in the fixed route fleet are 6.9 years old, and in the demand-responsive fleet 1.4 years. Vehicles in the fixed route fleet are rated, on average, for a capacity and 65 passengers, both sitting and standing.All fixed-route buses have a bike rack mounted on the front with room for two bicycles.
Garages
- Queensgate Garage 1401 Bank Street, Cincinnati, OH 45214
- Bond Hill Garage 4700 Paddock Road, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Fleet numbers | QG Garage | BH Garage | Notes |
| 2012 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1202-1245 | 1231, 1233-1245 | 1207-1208, 1211-1212, 1218-1220, 1225, 1228-1230 | In the process of retirement. |
| 2013 | Gillig | Low Floor BRT Plus | 1301–1310 | 1301-1307, 1309-1310 | - | 1308 retired in 2021. |
| 2013 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1321–1343 | 1321-1330 | 1331-1334, 1336-1343 | 1335 retired in 2022 due to fire. |
| 2015 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1501–1532 | 1511-1532 | 1501-1510 | |
| 2015 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1533–1537 | 1533-1537 | - | |
| 2016 | Gillig | Low Floor Commuter | 1601–1622 | 1608-1622 | 1601-1607 | 1616 caught fire and is assumed to be retired. |
| 2018 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1801–1819 | 1801-1819 | - | |
| 2018-19 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1820–1830 | 1820-1830 | - | |
| 2019 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1901–1934 | 1915-1934 | 1901-1914 | |
| 2020 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2001–2008, 2010-2016, 2018-2031 | 2012-2016, 2018-2026 | 2001-2008, 2010-2011, 2027-2031 | Numbers 2009 and 2017 were renumbered to 2020 and 2021 before entering service. |
| 2021 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2140–2170 | 2155-2170 | 2140-2154 | |
| 2022 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2201–2225 | 2216-2225 | 2201-2214 | |
| 2023 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | 2301–2310 | - | All | |
| 2023 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2311–2325 | All | - | |
| 2024 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2401–2412 | - | All | |
| 2024 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | 2421–2427 | All | - |
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Series #'s | Notes. |
| 2025 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | TBA | 4 buses due to be placed in service in 2025 to replace 4 1300 series buses. |
| TBA | Gillig | Low Floor EV | TBD | Received $5.5 million grant towards 11 electric buses. |
| 2028 | TBD | TBA | TBD | Articulated buses for their BRT service called, which is now scheduled to start service in 2028 for Reading Road and Hamilton Avenue. A contract for the build of these buses has not yet been officially announced. |